Site-Wide Activity

“Where does true reggae go from here?” I asked myself this question, when the news came this morning that Buju Banton had been sentenced to 10 years in jail. His sentence id the result of a February cocaine trafficking incident with an undercover cop. A conspiracy which was said to have taken place in a […]

While it is communally known that many African countries, including South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania have large populations of people who are of South Asian descent, there has been limited documentation about African descendants in South Asia. Africans arrived in South Asia under various circumstances. Although a significant amount of South Asians of African descent […]

I remember at the age of 13, a few weeks after I had succumbed to the calls of Mother Nature – my first period came – one of my mother’s friends called me into the living room to speak to me about something ‘important’. She had waited until her son had gone out to play and […]

My Best Father and Son Talk 2… CHOICES: As a kid, I loved climbing trees. My father will lift me up so that I can grab on a branch and weave through the tree. I  use think I was the Orijinal Jungle boy. One day blinded by a rare colorful lizard, I decided to get […]

Many of the discussions involving dads/fathers revolve around their absence and the negative impact it has on their child’s development.  However, many of us fail to acknowledge or celebrate the incredible fathers who not only fulfill their duties as role models for their children but who also provide an example for other fathers. To a large extent, […]

A Drum is not just a Drum. For most Africans, music and dance are the ultimate expressions of life, culture, history and tradition. The drum, the main musical instrument, creates infectious sounds and rhythms inhibits ever single fiber in your body and transcends you to the spiritual world.  While many people view the drum as merely being a […]

Ethiopian born couture bridal gown designer Amsale Aberra has become the ‘it’ designer for some of Hollywood’s most famous stars including Halle Berry, Selma Hyak and Julia Roberts, just to name a few. Hailing from the Ethiopia, Amsale notes that in her native country, she never envisioned being a designer because “in Ethiopia there were […]

Rampant poverty, unemployed youths, drugs, state wide corruption and gang violence are just some of the social ills that can lead to people searching for alternatives.  One such alternative, as recently exposed by document released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, could be Islamist extremism for frustrated Jamaican youths.  According to the leaked documents from Jamaica’s U.S. […]

Recently I sat down with a good friend of mine and we were talking about beautiful girls from Africa, we spoke of the East and Southern African girls with tiny waists and big hips, girls from the Horn of Africa with beautiful hair and exotic skin tones, North African girls with beautiful eyes and long hair […]

African fashion is just beginning to enter the mainstream fashion industry; it is common to go to Africa and see Africans dress in Western fashions but only recently are we beginning to embrace the vibrant colours and beautiful patterns found on cloths made in Africa such as Malian bazin, Nigerian ankara, and now the Tanzanian/Kenyan […]

Despite the advent of colonialism and having to endure constant discrimination by the dominant mestizo and criollo populations, Afro Ecuadorians have managed to maintain a distinct identity, deeply embedded with their African culture and traditions for nearly four and a half centuries. Unlike the Garifuna who strongly associates with and maintains a rather equal identification […]

Upon hearing that Jennifer Hudson, an American, was chosen to portray one of their most prominent and captivating figures, Winnie Madizki-Mandela, the  the Creative Workers Union of South Africa lambasted Hollywood for undermining South Africa’s efforts to develop their own film industry. Hailed by many as the ‘mother of the nation’, Winnie Mandela’s life as […]

“My mom is sending me back to the Phillipines because she thinks I’m too rude.  She said that she can’t beat me here because she would get into trouble.  She is sending me back so that I can be taught respect and morals and they will beat you to make sure you learn these things!” […]

The saying that ‘behind every successful man, there is a woman’ has been exemplified time and time against in South Africa during the struggle against Apartheid. Such was the case of Albertina Sisulu, a “colossus” of strength for her late husband Walter Sisulu against the Apartheid regime. Mama Sisulu’s late husband Walter has was a […]

“The surest way to keep people down is to educate the men and neglect the women. If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family” A powerful message from Dr James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey (an intellectual, missionary, and teacher ) , who in his fight […]

It will be difficult for many Dominicans to deny their African ancestry outside of their country because by most standards, especially in North America and Europe, many of them look and are considered ‘Black.’ Many Dominicans possess phonotypical features ascribed to ‘Blacks’ such as darker complexions and curly hair. However, the notion of ‘Blackness’ in […]

Comparing Preacher’s Kid, Rihanna’s “Man Down” and True Life: I recently watched the movie ‘The Preacher’s Kid’ and felt Angie’s pain (The curious yet naive church girl who left her home to explore the dangerous world). It is good to explore the world but it is also important to remember your roots, culture and values so […]

Most North American children learn moral lessons through cartoons and story books, however, in the Caribbean, we learn these lessons through folktales passed on to us by our elders. As a child growing up, I couldn’t wait for my grandmother to tell me Anansi stories. I marvelled at its/his cleverness, envied its/ his seemingly indestructibleness and admired its/his ability […]

“Made in Africa” is the brand new song from Stephen Marley featuring Wale and the cast of Fela!; it will appear on Stephen Marley’s upcoming album “Revelation:Part 1: The Root of Life”. The song epitomizes the Orijin spirit of a connected diaspora as individuals of African descent from Jamaica, Nigeria and America joined forces to cook […]